Rattlers Playoff Hopes to be Decided Saturday in Charlotte

The Rochester Rattlers visit the Charlotte Hounds in their final game of the 2012 Major League Lacrosse season at 7PM on Saturday, August 11th. The Rattlers enter the game in fifth place, one game behind Long Island for the fourth and final playoff spot. If the Rattlers defeat the Hounds and the Lizards lose in Hamilton against the Nationals, then Rochester would go to Championship Weekend by virtue of the head-to-head tie breaker.

“It’s nice to be in a position where we could advance to the playoffs.” Rattlers coach Tim Soudan said. “First we need to focus on our job and beat Charlotte, then we can worry about what’s happening in Hamilton.”

Rattlers A Kevin Leveille has been a key weapon for the Rattlers during their playoff stretch run. He has scored fourteen goals in his last five games and has 18 goals on the season. He was named the Bud Light Player of the Game after he scored two goals and added one assist in Rochester’s 14-5 win over Charlotte in Sahlen’s Stadium two weeks ago. He scored four goals in last week’s 16-12 home loss to the Outlaws. Leveille has 248 career goals and is now in second place in MLL history.

The Rattlers have also received key contributions this season from six emerging stars in Major League Lacrosse. D Joel White leads the team with 54 ground balls and he has added four goals and six assists for ten points. 2012 Rattlers team MVP SSDM Steve DeNapoli was acquired in a pre-season trade with Chesapeake, and he has 11 goals to go along with 41 ground balls. MLL rookie Jordan MacIntosh leads the team with 21 goals while rookie two-way M Roy Lang has 14 points and 25 ground balls. A Steven Boyle was the Rattlers First Round selection (third overall) in the 2012 MLL Supplemental Draft, and he has 18 goals and seven assists in his first year in Rochester. M Brad Ross was acquired in a mid-season trade with Boston, and he has gone on to score nine goals (two 2pt goals) and add two assists.

A Ned Crotty leads the Rochester Rattlers in scoring for the second straight season entering the final game of 2012. Crotty has 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points while he has missed two full games and half of another this season. He is tied for seventh in the league in assists after leading the league in that category a season ago.

The Charlotte Hounds enter the game in sixth place with a 4-9 record. While they have already been eliminated from the 2012 playoff race, they did upset first place Chesapeake earlier in the season. The Hound feature high scoring A Matt Danowski (16G-19A) and M Stephen Berger (22G-13A). While the Rattlers won their first meeting of the season in Rochester 14-5, the score was tied 2-2 at the end of the first quarter.

The Rochester Rattlers final home game of the 2012 season can be seen live from Charlotte at 7PM on ESPN3.